Growing Pains---Part One
by angie9281
Summary: A peaceful evening at home turns to turmoil that forces Sookie and Eric to make a anguishing decision that will separate their family. How will their twins cope with that befalls them and what will this do to their family? Part one of a multipart saga. (NOTE-To catch up, it may be a good idea to read my story anthology i published all in one...it is long but i hope worth the read)


**Chapter 1**

"Will you get them back here before their dinner cools down?" Sookie stood on the porch of their cozy house as she looked into the darkness, her enhanced vision unable to detect any of who she was looking for and as she gazed up at the sky, she had a feeling she knew where they all were. And to confirm her suspicions, there he landed, on the driveway with a child in each arm. Now looking as if they were three, yet they were technically eighteen months old, the twins were giggling as Eric set them down one by one and they toddled up the driveway towards a relieved, yet annoyed Sookie.

"You promised to have them back a half hour ago and don't tell me you took them to-"

"I wouldn't dare take them to Fangtasia…I know it is not kid friendly. I am not foolish enough to do something to raise your ire….intentionally." he said with a smirk that she was unable to resist. As her displeasure melted and she led the kids inside to sit them at the dinner table, she poked his chest with a finger.

"it is a good thing you're so damn cute….bur please, tell me if you're going to be late….where did you take them anyway?"

"Over to the park…and there was a bunch of teenagers hanging out and the moment they saw me arrive, we ended up having the park to ourselves. I do enjoy a good scaring off of people."

"I am just glad they kept their heads….and heart….intact. didn't they?" Sookie asked with a funny look, knowing sometimes he didn't play well with others."

"They left in one piece…don't worry. Though I did want to make a statement with the one kid who found it amusing to wear fake fangs." I don't like feeling cheapened, made to look foolish…." Eric said with a sarcastic eye roll.

She laughed as he helped get the kids into their high chairs. Putting bowls of spaghetti in front of them, she wondered why they even bothered with the bibs as it always seemed that the bibs remained clean while everything else got trashed, including the kids clothes. Suggesting the kids wear nothing, Sookie narrowed her eyes playfully at him. "just because you like to be naked fairly regularly, doesn't mean I want to raise the kids to be as such. But I have a bad feeling he's going to take after you." Sookie nodded at their son, who was trying to figure out how to take the diaper off while in the chair. Distracting him with his food, Sookie was finally able to sit down and enjoy her leftover pizza from last night. As she watched Eric grudgingly partake in a can of New Blood, she knew how much he hated the fake stuff, even if this was his own product. "You can have some of the good stuff when the kids are down for the count. " she promised as she stifled a giggle as he made a face when he finished the last sip.

He looked relieved. "I have made an effort to be like he was…what with the mainstreaming and drinking the synthetic stuff…but it is just not me. I much prefer the real thing, especially that which is wrapped within such a delicious package." he gave her a look that made her insides melt yet tear up just a bit.

"You did come to like and respect Bill, you don't have to be ashamed to admit that." Sookie said gently. "And I never asked that you try to be like him. I only ever wanted you to be yourself, though I do like this version of you more than the one I first met in your bar what seems like a eternity before. You were so….scary….intimidating. Cold."

He had smiled at the first two descriptive words, wanting to keep that air of danger about him alive. But his face turned serious as she said the last one. "I'd been too engrossed with other things too long to allow anything else in my life. And for you to have come into my life, the changes I have gone through since then….." he looked from her to the kids. "I know I have told you before but I will say it again. I am grateful. And I should thank you and everyone in the family that the secret about me has remained just that. With appearances being what they are, I do like my less…..civilized persona from time to time."

"You would not be you without that other side of you." she grinned just as a bowl of spaghetti o's went unceremoniously off the table. Without a word he went and cleaned the floor up, having speed cleaned once or twice before over the years..

"A side that has saved our hides once or twice." he reminded her. "Not that I would dare ever tear someone to pieces in front of the kids."

"No…you will just wait till they're older and teach them how to do it themselves." Sookie retorted with a laugh. "But in all seriousness…..I do hope you will…..what the?"

Before their eyes, the little twins went from toddlers to ten year olds and to that, Sookie screamed for Niall. Not out of fear but of shock. As her grandfather appeared in the kitchen before a stunned Sookie and Eric, he looked almost embarrassed. "I had hoped that it wasn't going to happen….not as soon, or at all."

**Chapter 2**

"I thought you said that because of the vamp blood in them that they would not age like a pure fae would." Sookie said as the twins were helped out of the mangled remains of their chairs. Slinging them over his shoulders, Eric locked them securely in the baby suite that would do them no good any longer. The security though gave the parents a peace of mind they desperately needed after all the dangers they had already experienced. Thanks to Holly, the room was even more secure, safe from any fae popping in or out of the room, after the Mab kidnapping incident.

"I truly believed that that would be the case…but it feels almost…..like the aging they would have done in this amount of time was almost bottled up and has waited until now to-" Niall was stopped as there came a noise that Sookie and Eric both heard thanks to their enhanced abilities. And sure enough, they found a pair of casually dressed eighteen year olds standing almost with disgust in the room that they were far too advanced for,

"Um….can we get some video games or a tv in here….seriously, some major redecorating in needed and also, we need separate bedrooms." Adele said with a funny smile on her face. Neither her or her brother had expected the changes they had just gone through and now things had simply gone from strange to stranger.

Niall closed them back in the room as he gestured for Eric and Sookie to return to the kitchen. "They are aging….too fast now and unless I get them to Faery, they will age until….." he couldn't bear to look at them. "There is one thing I can do, to give you the time with the children I know you crave. But it comes at a price and I don't believe you are willing to make such a-"  
"We will pay whatever it costs." Eric snapped. "Just…I know how much the kids mean to us….she's got baby books that are barely filled in." hearing himself talk, the Viking had to laugh inwardly the fact this was coming out of his mouth. That Sookie, she had indeed changed him, hadn't she?"

"Is the price you are willing to pay one of the kids themselves? Because it will take the life force of one of the kids to grant the other a time to truly grow up like a human child would. Giving you the chance to enjoy your time together and fear not, they would retain their vamp and faerie powers."

The two looked at each other in shock. Such a sacrifice to be made for being able to truly enjoy and savor watching the development and growth of but one of the two kids. It was a agonizing choice to be made. "There isn't any other way, is there? I mean, is there any other option?" Sookie said, her voice crackling with emotion as she felt the cool hand of her Viking grip hers in support.

"They can return to Faery where they will not age nearly as fast as they are now. But if they returned here, they would age even more rapidly until…let us just say it is the vamp blood within them that would kill them here in this world. Unless you make a choice from the options I just gave you."

**Chapter 3**

The long drawn out silence that fell over the small group assembled was filled with agony and pure emotion. Of course things were going to take a turn like this, like they could really ever have more than a few days of peace! "I think we are on the same page….we will not sacrifice one to save the other all for the sake of raising that one from baby to adult…..it is not, nor would it ever, be worth the price paid. Not that either of us like this situation but we are between a rock and a hard place, it would seem." Eric said as he looked at Sookie who nodded stiffly in agreement. "If we had perhaps….adopted instead of me being with you when I was so briefly human-"

She put her finger on his lips to stop him from talking. "None of us had any idea this was coming. That something like this could happen. As much as it pains me to be separated from them with them now having to live in Faery…..at least they will be alive. Both of them."

"Brave as ever, granddaughter. But I must take them sooner rather than later before they age to the point they look as aged as I do. Mind you, I think I look good for a couple millennia old." Niall said, trying to lighten the mood.

Normally he would make some kind of smart ass comment and honestly, he had a good one that came to mind. But now was certainly not the time for any "aging gracefully" jokes. Instead, Eric stared hard at her grandfather. "And those are truly our only options? There isn't anything else that can be done? Nothing at all?"

"You can keep them here and watch them age rapidly into oblivion." Niall replied darkly. "And seeing as how you all are all the family I have remaining….besides the rest of the extended family you two have, I would prefer not to lose them as I am sure you would not want to either. I am sorry that this is where we stand but-"

"We can visit whenever we want…and they will age like the rest of the fae back in Faery…." Sookie was reasoning everything aloud, her eyes lost in thought. "Then I guess we have to send them off. Now."

"But not before saying goodbye, of course." Niall said gently. "Let me explain things to them first, if you don't mind. I already used my power to stop them from aging further but it can only be for minutes at most. Gives enough time for us to do what we must." he passed by them and entered the baby suite where the twins were still secured

**Chapter 4**

They could overhear everything with their hearing, explaining to the teenagers that they could not remain here with their parents if they wanted to live long lives like they deserved to live. As they waited for their turn at the inevitable goodbyes, she watched as he silently left the kitchen and went outside, zipping off into the night. It was then she heard the terrible sounds of trees cracking and it was as if a storm was cutting through the woods. It went on for a good five minutes and she raced off after him, her own camp speed bringing her within eyesight of her angered hubby, who was in his own world, thoughts. His eyes met hers for a moment and she saw none of the love she knew was there somewhere, but instead, she saw the pain, the hurt he was feeling about what they had to do next. She was rarely afraid of things anymore, feeling more empowered than she had ever felt since they had come together as one. But she had fears and concerns of any rash actions that he could perform.

"Eric….please, I know you are upset and so am I,,,,but time is running out…aren't you going to say goodbye before Niall has to take them-"

His blue eyes blazed with fire as he threw the remnants of a tree he had in his hands down to the ground with a lifeless thud. He was inches from her face in seconds as she stubbornly looked up at him, defying him to keep this temper of his under control. "I. have. Had. Enough. I don't want to talk about this. I am staying here-"

"And what will they say when you don't go say goodbye to them? It isn't like we will never see them again? You can come to and from Faery as you please, safe and secure thanks to the magical gift of that bracelet you wear. You are being stubborn and destroying our woods isn't going to do much for the value of the land." she touched him on the arm gently and gave it a squeeze and as ever, it was her touch that always brought him out of his foul temper. At least for the most part. "I know you feel guilty about your blood being the cause of this mess….but I don't and neither does Niall. It is a freak occurrence and we should certainly be used to those by now, right?"

He pulled her to him silently and stroked her long hair and closed his eyes, it was his go to stress reliever, and with every stroke of her soft hair, he felt better, calmer. "You are a amazing woman, being so strong as you are."

"Believe me, I am hurting inside at losing their childhood faster than we had thought we would. But they will be living. I have decided to try to see things more positively rather than looking at things half empty."

"Reason number one hundred and eleven that I love you." he said as he kissed her forehead, anger still flaring in his eyes. "But I need a few moments here….and I can get a landscape crew out here for repairs. Five minutes?"

She nodded as she backed away as he left her,, going deeper into the woods where she heard the crackling sounds of breaking wood and primal shouting, in a language she had come to recognize as his native Swedish, with a few choice old Norse swears thrown in for good measure. Arriving back at the house, she explained to her grandfather what he was doing as she stepped into the now open doorway of the suite. Her children, 18 in appearance, looked a them with a bit of trepidation, fear and sadness.

"Mom?" Adele said, her brown eyes, much like her mother, tear filled. "Grandpa says we have to leave…that if we don't we…we…."

Her brother interrupted her stammering. "We'll snuff it if we say here, becoming nothing more than dust." Hjalmar seemed to have picked up the same tact that his father had, though still showing that he cared, also like his father. "Personally, I think this beats those crappy diapers…..ha! Get it? Crappy?"

"Mature, very mature." Adele rolled her eyes, though a smile was playing at the corners of her mouth as their father joined them, dirty from head to toe but looking more restful. As he got a good luck at his now matured children, he wasn't sure what to do. So Adele helped him by running into his arms and as they slowly folded around her, he soon felt at ease. He then accepted a handshake from his son.

"Looks like I will need to travel to Faery to teach you two some fighting skills. No one is as good with a sword as I am." Eric couldn't help but boast. Thought it was probably the truth. Nowadays sword fighting wasn't exactly a widely practiced activity.

"You two do whatever your grandfather tells you and we will visit you often." Sookie said as she hugged her children tightly one by one, her son several inches taller than she. Wonder where he got his height from, she thought to herself jokingly, trying to help keep her heart from breaking.

"They will need to be left to just me for a few months, to acclimate their bodies to Faery and to ensure that no further rapid aging will occur. I will teach them the ways of Faery and when the time is right, I will send for you two. I realize this is difficult, but they will not want for anything. Especially spaghetti." he tried to perk them all up with a weak joke but his own smile faded fast with the lackluster reaction. "We need to leave. I promise I will be in touch with you both. And so will they and you will reunite sooner rather than later." he used his magic and opened the passageway to Faery, the rippling to the air signaling that it was open. A final hug between the children and their parents and they were gone with Niall to somewhere close, yet far. No sooner has the porthole sealed shut, had Sookie broken down and collapsed to her knees, comforted by the Viking who had kneeled down beside her and as she stared at the floor, could see her slightly blood tinged tears intermingling with his own pure blood tears, tears that had flown from him on such very rare moments in his long life. He knew they had weathered many things before, but this latest calamity, he knew, would be the one that would forever leave them scarred, visitation abilities or not.

**To be continued**


End file.
